Monolithic silica aerogels were synthesized with very low thermal conductivity (0.036 W/mK) and high porosity (97%) via ambient pressure drying. This method of drying replaces supercritical drying which is more costly and dangerous. The aerogel was derived from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and treatment with trimethylchlorosilane. NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy were used for characterization of surface bonding and contact angles. Using the multiple surface modification (MSM) method allowed the authors to generate an ...